WSPR (pronounced „whisper“, Weak Signal Propagation Reporter) is a digital radio protocol for probing potential propagation paths with low-power transmissions. The WSPR protocol can decode signals with a SNR (Signal-to-noise ratio) as low as -28 dB. A typical transmission contains…
The Yaesu FT-817ND transceiver has four different transmitter output power levels: 5 W, 2.5 W, 1 W and 0.5 W. However, the visual indicators can be confusing as the differ slightly depending on whether the radio is powered via its…
Exchanging QSL cards to confirm radio contact with other ham radio operators is part of the hobby for many hams. Although it’s easy to rack up QSOs (contacts), manually filling out QSO details on the back of a QSL card…
A famous Chinese proverb says, “Every journey begins with a single step.” From getting my first ham radio license, to earning the coveted Summits on the Air (SOTA) “Mountain Goat” award with more than 1,000 SOTA activation points (not there…
The Yaesu FT-817ND can be either powered by its internal battery or by a external DC power source. When supplying the radio via its rear panel DC connector mechanical stress can lead the DC connector shearing off the connected PCB.…
If you want to receive signals from the ISS a simple rubber duck antenna is all you need. However, after a while you might start to lust for a bit more antenna gain. Consequently I’ve purchased a WiMo X-Quad Antenna…
Several times a year the ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) team is setting up SSTV (Slow Scan Television) events where images are transmitted from the ISS down to earth. The SSTV signal can be received with a conventional hand held radio…
Portable ham radio operation require a portable energy source, e.g. a rechargeable battery. Usually lithium based batteries are chosen because they store a lot of energy while at very low weight. However, there are different types of lithium based batteries…
The European SOTA Activity Day 2020 took place on Saturday, 19th September 2020. It developed out of the OE5 SOTA Day which usually takes place in the middle of September. OE5 SOTA Day was initially created to bring together SOTA…
The Yaesu FT-817ND is one of the smallest MF/HF/VHF/UHF multimode general-coverage amateur radio transceivers. Initially released as FT-817 in 2001 it was upgraded to FT-817ND in 2004. Another hardware revision led to the launch of the FT-818ND in 2019. This…